If There Was No Van Helsing
by lotrluv
Summary: A girl with special gifts is forced to live in Dracula's fortress for five years. Dracula wants her as a new bride, but has to wait until she is of age, then he will make her his.
1. Marishka's Death

**If There Was No Van Helsing...**

Disclaimer: I do not own Van Helsing nor anything related to Van Helsing, just the character Lireela, who doesn't even come in until the next chapter so I really don't know why I'm saying this...

A/N: This first chapter you will find rather boring because it's mostly just stuff taken from the movie, but I promise you, it will get better.

"Marishka!"

Dracula rose from the depths of his icy slumber to call out his lost bride's name in anguish and despair. He was soon joined by all that remained of his brides, Aleera and Verona.

"She's gone!"

"We've lost Marishka!"

The Count allowed them to sob into his shoulders for a few moments before he decided he needed to vent his anger.

"Who killed her?"

"Anna Velarious," said Aleera.

"But we managed to kill her afterwards," added Verona.

"WHAT???" shrieked Dracula. "YOU KILLED HER?"

"I-Is that not what you told us to do, master?" asked Aleera, backing away.

"I told you to bring her to me!" yelled Dracula. "She would have been a perfect bride! And now –"

Verona backed away as well.

"– I shall have to find another bride!"

"There are plenty of maidens in the land, master," interrupted Igor.

"SHUT UP!" yelled Dracula. Igor scurried off.

"What do you mean by finding another bride, master?" asked Verona.

"Do we mean so little to you?" asked Aleera.

"Have you no heart?" asked Verona.

"NO!" exclaimed Dracula. "I have no heart! I feel no love! Nor fear, nor joy, nor sorrow! I am hollow... and I will live _forever_..."

The next few months, Dracula and his brides spent searcing for a mortal suitable to be a third bride.

There were numerous beautiful maidens in the land, with rich blood, but Dracula was looking for something... something he sensed. And when his brides asked him what that was, he coldle told them to keep searching, so that was what they did, even though they did not know what exactly they were searching for.

Please review, if you like it or don't like it! Yes I know it's kinda boring but please hang on I will post another chapter, hopefully soon.


	2. A Young Bride

**Thanks for the reviews! I can't believe I got so many in two days for that first chapter!**

It was a chill, dark autumn night. Stars were obscured by clouds, and there was a biting chill in the air. It was quiet and still, unnaturally still. The trees on the edge of the forest stood as great statues, not a branch rustling, nor a leaf falling. The moon shown its strange, pale light upon Transylvanian land that night.

The town of Shrania, Transylvania stood as still and desolate as the trees, as if waiting for something. Its wooden houses were sileny, their occupants asleep. No one noticed two dark shadows pass over the village.

Inside a small wooden house at the edge of the village, someone was awake.

Lireela had had a fitful sleep, filled with dreams of blood and darkness. She woke up shivering, and decided to take a walk to get her circulation going.

Creeping out the door so as not to wake her father, Lireela headed into the backyard.

Here it was, perhaps, colder than even her dreams. But there was no harsh wind, the air simply bit into the skin.

Pulling her jacket around her, she looked up into the sky. The moon was pale tonight... it cast eerie shadows beneath the trees.

But then she saw other shadows, _moving_ shadows... shadows that shouldn't've been there...

She looked up at the sky but saw nothing. She shook her head. She was dreaming again. Why did she always see things that weren't there? Not as though that wasn't the weirdest thing about her. She had secrets, dark secrets, secrets she told no one, not even her father. Because if she did, they may cause distress and she could end up in a lab to be researched.

She shivered at the thought. What would scientists do if they found out she could sprout red wings at will? Or sometimes read the thoughts of others? Or move things with her mind? Even she didn't know how she could do all these things, she was just born with them, and had lived with them all 19 years of her life.

There it was again. A moving shadow, only this time beneath the trees.

Slowly Lireela walked toward the shadow, certain now she had not been dreaming. Standing on top of the shadow, which had stopped moving, she looked directly up into the tree above her. Two sets of eyes were gleaming at her from in the tree.

Suddenly, something jumped down from the tree and wrestled Lireela to the ground. Shrieking, Lireela used her telekinesis to throw the thing off her. But just as soon as she heard a _thump_ on the ground, another thing came flying at her, and held her hands and eyes closed.

"Aleera! Get up!" the thing ordered. It was woman's voice, and Lireela could feel icy cold fingers on her forehead where the thing held Lireela's eyes shut.

"How did she do that?" the other woman asked, in a slightly higher voice than the first.

"I do not know, but our master will want her," said the first woman.

"But she is too young!" argued the second.

"If so, she will be his dinner," said the first.

There was the rushing sound of wings and the woman took her hand off Lireela's eyelids.

Blinking, she looked up into the face of –

"Vampire!" she screamed, and the vampire covered her mouth.

"Silence, or you will be _my_ dinner!" she commanded in a harsh whisper.

Lireela tried to use her telekinesis, but with her hands clasped behind her she could do nothing but stare as the vampire transformed into her hideous bat-like form.

"You are coming with me," she said. "Do not expect to see any of your friends again while you live."

She suddenly picked up Lireela, hands still clasped, and flew into the air.

"Mrhmph mrphmph!!!!" was all Lireela managed to scream with the vampire's hand on her mouth.

Flying past Transylvanian land at amazing speed, Lireela's home soon disappeared behind them. Tears flying past her eyes, she hung limply at the vampire's side.

After a few minutes, Lireela saw on the horizon something she wasn't sure was actually there. It was like a tornado, only it was icy snow that formed it, and its top was facing them. Lireela closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them, it was still there.

"Whmrht mihrs thmrhat?"

The vampire loosened her hold on Lireela's mouth so she could hear her properly.

"What is that?" Lireela asked again.

The vampire looked forward, then back to Lireela.

"You can see it?" she asked.

"Yes," said Lireela. She now realized this must be one of those things she shouldn't be able to see but did.

The vampire looked at her for a moment, then said, "You will soon find out."

Lireela did not know what she meant. The vampire flew on for a few minutes, then Lireela realized they were heading straight for the tornado!

"What are you doing???" shrieked Lireela, "You'll -"

But her mouth was once again covered by the vampire's hand.

The tornado was right in front of them now, Lireela could feel icy wind on her face. They flew nearer and nearer to it, and then –

They were _inside_ the tornado. All Lireela could see for a few moments was swirling snow, and she felt numb. But soon she saw a light at the end, and soon they flew out it.

The scenery was completely different from Shrania. It was the middle of winter wherever they were, and right in front of them was a huge, icy fortress - a castle that looked to be older than perhaps even the land surrounding it.

They flew above the gates and into the castle, where it was not much warmer, but Lireela didn't mind the cold so much now. At least they were inside.

The vampire landed, and, turning back into her human form, grabbed Lireela's arm again.

She led her into what appeared to be some sort of living room, but looked as though nothing had actually _lived_ in there for ages. It was musty and damp, and everything was dark, except for the two torches on the wall, which did little to brighten the big room.

"Why did you bring me a child, Verona?" came a cold, mesmerizing voice from inside the room.

Lireela strained her neck, but it was so dark she could not see the speaker.

"This child is... different from others, master," said the vampire who had brought Lireela in.

"How is that?" the man's voice asked, irritation apparent in it.

"We followed her home," said Verona. Lireela scowled.

"She slept for an hour, and we waited."

"Why did you wait for an hour?" asked the voice, this time angry. "When you could have been searching for someone else."

"I sensed something," said Verona.

There was silence. Then –

"This is her... this is what I have sensed... but why is she so young..."

"If you do not want her as your bride, master, you could turn her and –"

"No, no..." said the voice, "I need her... I can smell her blood... I need her to be passionately loyal to me and I cannot do that while she is this young!"

There was the sound of a chair creaking, and out of the shadows stepped Count Vladislaus Dracula.

Lireela could not take her eyes off of him. If she had thought his voice was mesmerizing... his gaze held her for so long she didn't know how long she'd been staring at him when he said,

"I need her. I need her for my bride... I will keep her until she is ready."

"But master, what about –" started Verona.

"I can live five years with two brides," said Dracula, and turning to Lireela, "It will be worth it."

**Please review! I will be posting the next chapter... hopefully soon**


	3. Locked in Decaying Darkness

**Just so you know, the chapter that might turn out to be rated R isn't going to be for a while because it's going to happen when Lireela becomes a vampire.**

"But I do not understand," said Verona, "Why is she so important that you wait five years for a bride?"

"Verona, my darling, pay attention," said Dracula in his mesmerizing voice. "How did you manage to capture this girl?"

"Aleera and I followed her into the night," said Verona, "And we waited. She walked out of her house, and then we knew it was time to act. Once she was close, Aleera jumped onto her..."

"Continue," Dracula urged, his eyes straying over to Lireela then back to Verona.

"She threw Aleera off. I do not know how, she was pinned to the ground..."

"Telekinesis," said Dracula, his eyes flashing.

"How does he know?" Lireela muttered.

"I have not dealt with your kind since 1576," answered Dracula. "When witchcraft rose with the topmost of beliefs... They tried to destroy me as well," he added, "But it did not work. Not even with their powers, my darling. So do not think you are a threat to me." His eyes flashed. "Because you are going to be my bride, soon enough, darling. When you tell me your name -"

"I will tell you nothing, monster!" Lireela shrieked. "I would die a thousand deaths before becoming one of yours."

Dracula laughed his cold, heartless laugh. "One thousand deaths? No. One will be sufficient, my dear. You _will_ be mine, and you will come to adore me, and fear me, and we will be together for eternity, and rule this earth as the first of our kind!"

Lireela struggled to free her hands... how she longed to freeze him... but Verona held her tight. She could not free herself.

"I have heard of you," said Lireela, her face pale. "I have seen your kind killing my family! I will not give in to you, I will not do your bidding!"

Dracula looked at her with a deadly calm expression upon his face.

"If that is how you feel, my love," he said quietly, "I will teach you to feel differently."

Lireela narrowed her eyes.

"Lock her up," commanded Dracula. Verona nodded and headed out the door.

"And do not let her out until you have found out her name. Once she has uttered it, bring her to me."

He passed Verona and Lireela on his way out, but Lireela could not hear his footsteps down the hall... just the soft rustling of his cape. She shivered.

"Come."

Verona dragged her down a left hallway, up two flights of stairs and into a room on the right and shoved her in.

"You will be staying here until you do as the master has told you," she said, and closed the door. Lireela heard the lock click.

She looked around the room. It was as gloomy as the room she had just been in - the bed was black, its covers a blood red... there even appeared to be a blood stain on them. The room smelled damp and musty... old and decaying. It was still cold, and, as Lireela figured out when she got under the bedcovers, they did little for warmth.

That night she lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, her mind blank except for the one thing that was penetrating through her semi-unconsious mind... the one thing that chilled her blood and yet somehow fueled a fire within her...

"_We will be together for eternity, and rule this earth as the first of our kind!_"


	4. Jericho

"Lireela?"

_Knock. Knock._

"Lireela, are you there? Mr. Filerious?"

Gently pushing on the door, Jericho realized it was open.

"Hello?"

He made his way to Lireela's room and knocked on her door.

"Lireela, wake up -"

He stopped in mid-sentence as he saw Lireela's father standing right beside him, pale as a ghost.

"Mr. Filerious, what happened?" asked Jericho.

Mr. Filerious could not respond for a few moments. Then he put his head in his hand.

"They took her."

"What? Who? Who took her?"

"D-Dracula, and his brides..."

"Dracula?" for a moment Jericho couldn't speak. "Are you sure?"

"Yes... I - I saw them fly away with her, there was nothing I could do - I had heard a noise and assumed Lireela couldn't get to sleep, so I went outside and... and I saw them fly away."

He looked at Jericho.

"You're a good man, Jericho, but you're no match for vampires. Lireela is gone."

He hung his head.

"No," said Jericho. "I won't let them take her. I've got to find her before they eat her!"

"If they were going to eat her I think they'd have done it already," said Mr. Filerious.

"I don't care... maybe they've waited... I can't just let her die! I love her!"

And with that, Jericho ran out of the house.

Mr. Filerious looked up to the ceiling.

"Be with him. Help him to know that he cannot save her."

Mr. Filerious began to weep.

**Yes, I know this was a short chapter, but I felt I had to introduce Jericho and Lireela's father early in the story so you know that Jericho and Lireela are in love.**


	5. The Letter

Lireela opened her eyes. From the tiny ray of sun peeking through the curtains, Lireela could tell it was a little after dawn. Yawning, she walked over to the curtains and pulled them apart.

"Well," she sighed, "at least that adds a bit of light to this horrible room."

Lireela had never experienced boredom this intense. She had already looked around the room enough times to mentally picture every corner and inch of it. She had spent an hour twisting her hair around her fingers and staring out the window. Walking over to the window, she tried to open it, but it was stuck. She pulled harder. It wouldn't budge. Finally Lireela decided to give up, and flopped onto her bed.

Then she had a sudden idea.

"Why didn't I think of this before?" she muttered to herself.

She stared at the lock on the door for about two seconds, then _click!_ The lock was opened.

Walking softly to the door, she pushed it open and let herself out.

It was dark as night in the hallway, and cold as ice. Shivering, Lireela pulled her cloak around her and headed down the hallway.

She figured Dracula and his brides would be asleep now, because, from what she'd heard of vampires, they sleep during the day.

So she walked out into another hallway, not expecting to see anyone up.

But this was not the case. She had not yet met Igor.

So when she turned the corner, she was startled to see him stooping over the floor, dusting. She tried to sneak away, but tripped on the hem of her cloak, and stumbled into the hallway.

Igor jumped up and pulled out a knife. Squinting, he saw Lireela lying on the floor. He walked up to her, expecting her to run away, but she did not. He knelt down. She was breathing, but she was unconscious.

"What is it, Igor?" came a voice from behind him. He turned around to find his master staring at the floor.

"Ah," said Dracula, "She has tried to leave her room."

He bent over and picked her up with ease, and looked into her face while saying, "She would not have gotten past the gate... I was not worried. But she is strong, I admit. That is why I have chosen her for my bride."

"Her?" Igor said, confused. "But she is young, master -"

"That is why she will be staying here for five years," snapped Dracula. "Now continue with your work."

He turned around and headed down the dark hallway.

Igor shook his head and continued dusting.

Dracula reached his destination and walked inside with Lireela still unconscious in his arms. He could feel her deep, soft breathing. He could hear the blood pulsing in her veins... the rich blood that he was so eager to have. But he restrained himself, knowing that if he were to bite her now, he would have to look for yet another bride.

He walked across the room, and carefully laid Lireela on a couch.

Dracula was just about to turn and walk out of the room when he noticed something white sticking out from underneath Lireela's sleeve. He reached down and took out a letter, addressed to: Lireela Filerious.

Lireela opened her eyes. She didn't know where she was. Then memory came back to her and she realized she should be on the hallway floor, but that was not the case. She was on a surprisingly soft, warm couch, staring at the ceiling.

She sat up and rubbed her head. There was a small bump on it.

"I see you are awake, Lireela."

Lireela started at the sound of her name, and quickly turned around to find Dracula standing over her. She stood up, breathing heavily.

"What... How did you... ?"

Dracula smirked. He held up a letter... the letter that Jericho had given Lireela the day before, the one she had not yet opened. But it was open now.

"Give it to me," she ordered.

Dracula laughed.

Lireela focused on the letter, using her telekinesis. The letter didn't move.

"Lireela, my darling, do you not realize your powers have no effect on me?" Dracula said, but his voice trembled. "Your powers will make us invincible. Because you see, once I have made you mine -"

"You mean by biting me," said Lireela quietly.

"Yes... that as well as... other things..."

Lireela glared at him.

"Once I have made you mine," Dracula continued, his voice growing stronger, "You will be loyal to me and to me only, and you will obey no one but I. You have gifts, Lireela... gifts that would aid our kind."

"Our kind?" repeated Lireela. "_Our kind?_ No. That is where you are wrong. I would never become one of yours, I would kill myself before I -"

"Do you really mean that, Lireela?" asked Dracula tauntingly. "I can see you sweat. I can hear your heart beat faster and faster as you approach me. Do not tell me you want to be rid of vampires forever. We can show you things you could never be shown if you are mortal. And you will experience such lust and desire... it will be overwhelming."

Lireela didn't know how to respond to this. It was all she could do not to stare at Dracula for ages on end. She took this opportunity, while Dracula was lost in thought of what was to come, to snatch the letter from his hand.

Dracula didn't seem to care.

"I have already opened and read it," he said. "Take it, I need it no longer."

Lireela opened the letter furiously and began to read.

_Lireela,_

_I don't know how to tell you this. I have thought it over many times before, coming up with the same conclusion: she will think of me differently. But I can hide this from you no longer. Lireela, do you remember by the lake, when you asked me if I fancied anyone? I answered no, not yet. But now I do. In fact, I love her. I cannot get her out of my head. I think of her day and night, night and day. I love you, Lireela._

_Jericho_

Lireela could not speak. Tears welled in her eyes before she could stop them.

And Dracula left her to cry. He would not let her go, for nothing and no one but himself.

**I'll try to update soon! Check out my Van Helsing site, I have it in my profile.  We need more members!**


	6. The Feeding

**Hey, thanx for the reviews! I know 19 isn't really a child, but if you think about it, it is to Dracula! lol... i guess he just wants her to look the age his other brides look... it's hard to explain...**

Lireela sat staring, unseeing, at the blank, dark walls in the room, lit only by the slowly dying fire in the dismal fireplace. Letting her long brown hair fall in front of her face, she turned to look at the letter. Her hands shook.

_Why did I not tell him earlier that I love him?_ she scolded herself quietly. _Now he will be looking for me and I... I cannot leave._

Weeping softly, she buried her head in a pillow.

"Aleera..."

"I am awake."

"It is time to feed."

"Yes. I will bring the prisoners."

"I will go to Master."

Verona walked down the hallway and out of sight, making no sound. Aleera turned left and down the stairs, the darkness deepening as she went.

The smell of dark and decay was present all around Aleera as she descended to the prisoners' room. Reveling in the darkness, her lust for her master, and desire for blood Aleera could feel night descending on the castle, and therefore knew the time to feast on their prisoners was now.

She reached the cell where the humans were kept, and opened the door. Immediately, one of the men tried to tackle her to the ground, but she grabbed hold of his neck.

"Pitiful human," she sneered, "You will die first."

Choking, the man struggled against Aleera's powerful grip, but it was no use. Aleera dropped him. He died before he hit the floor.

"Carry him," Aleera ordered the other man, a thin, pale man with graying hair. He whispered something to the shaking girl sitting opposite him, and stepped out of the cell to pick up the bocy.

"Follow me."

The man and the girl followed Aleera up the stairs slowly, knowing what was ahead and knowing they could do nothing to stop it. The girl was sobbing quietly, the man was gritting his teeth to stop the tears welling inside of him.

They walked on for what seemed like ages to the humans. Their lives flashing before them, they entered the dining hall.

Lireela wiped her eyes and sat up.

_It's all over,_ she realized, _There's no going back._

She stood up, knees trembling, with the idea of going back to her room. But then she realized she had no idea how to get there from here – wherever here was.

Lireela opened the door and turned right. Trying to head in the general direction her room was, she made her was through numerous hallways and after a while she still had no idea where she was.

She sat down, rubbing her hand over her forehead, when suddenly she heard an agonized cry.

Getting up, she rushed to the source of the sound. She found herself standing in the doorway of a great dining hall. The whole room was made of stone, and had an arched ceiling. In the center of the room was a long table, which Lireela was standing near the end of. And at the other end of the room was a high-backed chair, and in it was Count Dracula. Beside him were standing Aleera and Verona, each holding their captive. Dracula was feeding on his, the elder man, draining the life-blood from him.

Lireela could not move. Watching Dracula devour his prey, she suddenly became sick and afraid. Who would they devour next?

Aleera, having gotten the man she had killed earlier, bit down greedily on his neck, and slowly sucked the blood from him.

Verona began to bend down to bite the girl...

"No! Stop!"

Lireela could not let her kill the girl.

"Don't hurt her!" she ran to try to rescue the girl, but Dracula grabbed her arm.

"My darling, do not interfere. This is how we exist in this world. One day you will bloodlust just as we do."

Verona bit down, and the girl cried in pain, then was silent.

Lireela was in shock. She could not move.

Dracula wiped his face of blood with his sleeve, and walked over to Lireela. He whispered, "As my future bride, you will come to live with the feeding... enjoy it. I will make sure of that, my love." Not taking his eyes off of Lireela, he motioned for Verona and Aleera.

"Aleera, take her to her room. Do not lock it. Verona... come."

Dracula and Verona left.

Aleera looked at Lireela, who was sobbing into her hands. "Come," she said.

Lireela looked up. Aleera's expression was impassive. Sighing, Lireela followed her to her room.


	7. Endless Pacing

**I didn't know if vampires drank blood from an already dead mortal they'd die... hmm let's just say in this story that doesn't apply, lol**

Icy. Cold. Gloomy. Deathly. These were words which described how Lireela felt about the castle. She did not want to be held hostage in a place such as this. There was nothing cheery about it... nothing a human would ever think pleasurable. It had been a week since the first feeding, and Lireela had not gone to watch more. Just thinking about it made her sick. She had not seen Dracula or Verona since they had left the first feeding. Aleera had brought her food. It was good food, bread and chicken, wine and salad. But Lireela was desperately homesick. She missed her father, and most of all, Jericho. How long ago was it when she had first met him? About two years, she remembered. He had come to attend church the first morning she'd seen him. He could not find a seat anywhere except the one beside Lireela. She had not minded. It was a great service, she remembered, and afterwards, she had asked Jericho where he came from and he said he had just moved from Scotland where his father wasn't doing very well financially. They had come here to start over. Things had gone well since then. Lireela knew he would be looking for her, and it made her heart ache with longing to see him and tell him she loved him.

_Damn you, Dracula_, she thought, burying her face in her pillow, which smelled of dust and decay just as did everything else in the castle. _You've taken me away from everything I know. And for what? You've yet to bite me! Why do you not just get it over with? Why must I become one of you? Why??_

Sobbing, she began to drift off into an uneasy sleep.

There was a loud knock on the door.

Lireela did not answer. She was too tired, she needed rest.

_Knock. Knock._

Still she did not answer.

The door burst open and in came Aleera.

"When I knock on the door, you are to answer!" she hissed at Lireela, shutting the curtains that Lireela had opened earlier. "And the master says you stay up another hour."

"Why?" demanded Lireela, sitting up.

"I've already answered that," Aleera sneered, bringing her face close to Lireela's. "And you will do as you're told. Or else -"

She bared her fangs and her eyes took on their demon appearance.

"You might find I'm not able -"

She grabbed Lireela by the shoulders and lowered her fangs.

" - to resist a bite."

She let go of Lireela and walked toward the door.

Lireela made to lay back down.

"And remember," said Aleera, turning her head to face Lireela, "I'll know when you're asleep." She shut the door behind her.

Lireela, breathing harshly, plopped down on her bed.

"Go to hell," she muttered.

Echoing laughter sounded from the halls of the castle.

Lireela stood up and resisted the urge to smash through her bedroom door. Splinters and minor injuries wouldn't do her any good.

She opened the door using telekinesis and stalked out of her room. She needed a place to pace. To do some thinking. There just wasn't enough space in her room for that.

So, wandering aimlessly through the hallways and up and down endless staircases, she did her pacing. No one disturbed her. She saw no sign of another being, dead or alive. Which made her feel even more uneasy.

Then she found the entrance hall.

Icy gray stone made up the entire room's borders. Pillars taller than trees loomed above her with no end. Huge basins filled to the brim with blazing fire lined the center of the path leading to the giant, ominous gates in the front of the room.

Lireela gulped. Closing her eyes, she slowly sat down. The floor was ice. She tilted her head up, silently asking for comfort from whoever was listening. As she slowly opened her eyes, she gasped.

Hundreds and thousands of sac-like things lined the huge ceiling. Lireela could not even see how high the ceiling reached, let alone how many of those things there actually were.

_What _are_ those things?_ she wondered, grimacing.

"Ah," said a voice behind her. "I see you have found my children."

Lireela knew who it was before she turned around.

"I have not seen you for a week, Count," she said coldly.

Dracula sighed and took two steps toward Lireela. She took two steps back.

"I have been busy," said Dracula, smiling a smile that made the hair on the back of Lireela's neck stand up. "I had other things that needed tending to."

Lireela said nothing.

"Curious, how you should wander out here," said Dracula, taking a few more steps toward Lireela. She stepped back along with him. "I wonder if you were trying to escape."

"Where would there be to go?" muttered Lireela. "I can't fly."

Dracula laughed. "But I know your secret, Lireela."

A few steps forward. A few steps back.

"You_ can _fly."

A step forward. A step back.

"You have just hidden it from the world all your life."

Dracula tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. He took a step forward. She took a step back.

"You do not need to hide anymore, Lireela," said Dracula, spreading his arms. "You are in my castle now. No one will shun you because of what you are."

A few steps forward. A wall blocking Lireela's retreat.

"I know how much power you hold," said Dracula, drawing ever closer to Lireela. "I have told you this time and time again. Will you not except me?"

Lireela tried to look away. Tried to break the seductive gaze. But found she couldn't.

Dracula reached her, and grabbed her by the arms.

"I need you," he whispered into her ear. She shivered. But found that it was not so much out of fear.

"You will, one day, rule with me as my queen," he murmured, leaning closer to Lireela, so that their bodies were now touching, and she could feel his skin on hers, his chest leaning against her. She could feel no heartbeat.

"And we will be together forever."

He let go of her and walked away.

Lireela's breathing was shallow, uneven. If he could only have gone a little further, maybe...

Lireela shook her head. She realized what she had been thinking, and rubbed her arms as if she had been tainted.

She did not know how to get back to her room, and her head was buzzing. So she quietly sat down on the cold, hard floor and closed her eyes.


	8. Hunting for Answers

Lireela awoke to a loud buzzing noise coming from somewhere to her left. Groggily, she sat up, wondering at first why she wasn't in bed. Then memory came flooding back to her and she groaned. _What time is it?_ she wondered. She could not see where the sun was in the sky.

The loud buzzing noise that had awoken her had been Igor, experimenting with his new shocker, shocking the Dwergi that got in his way. Lireela had never really gotten used to the unpleasant little creatures, so she didn't stop Igor. The first time she had seen a Dwergi she had been afraid it was going to attack her. But this was not so. It had just snorted at her and walked away. Apparently, the Count had said something to them earlier, because Lireela was sure that if that Dwergi had had it's way, the few remaining limbs she would have would be of no use to her.

Lireela slowly pushed herself up, and pressed her hand against her back. She had slept oddly on it. Now she would have to deal with the pain for the rest of the day.

Walking unsteadily over to Igor, but being cautious not to get too close, she asked him, "Would you happen to know how to get to my bedroom from here?"

Igor looked up in mid-shock. Then, with one last, disgusted look at the Dwergi he was torturing, let it go.

"Guest bedrooms... that way," Igor grunted, pointing to Lireela's right.

Lireela sighed and headed in that direction. Igor really wasn't any help.

Staring ahead of her, she realized she recognized this hallway... it led to the room where Dracula had took her and had found and read Jericho's letter.

Holding her breath, she cautiously approached the room and peaked in. It was empty. Lireela did not know how to get back to her room from here, so she settled herself on the big couch in the room, for the time being.

She had been dozing off when all of a sudden the door to the room swung wide open and Aleera came in.

"The master wants you asleep in one hour," she said coldly.

Lireela sat up and sighed, beginning to get used to the idea that she couldn't sleep when she would like to. "What time is it now?"

"Past noon."

"Why are you awake, then?" asked Lireela suspiciously.

Aleera's mouth curved in a small, lustful grin. "The master has kept us awake today."

She was about to exit the room, when Lireela remembered she did not know how to get back to her bedroom.

"Wait!" she said, standing up. "I don't know how to get back from here..."

Aleera laughed and shut the door as she exited.

Lireela scowled. She hadn't really expected the vampiress to be _kind_ to her, but ...

She sat down once more, tears dripping unnoticed down her cheeks.

_(Back in Transylvania...)_

Jericho walked slowly to the Valerious's mansion.

_If anyone knew something about Count Dracula, it was the Valerious family, _he thought grimly, silently grieving for the Valerious's. They had been a kind family, who had looked after the town as if it was their own child. Because they were all dead, he could not ask them what they knew about the Count. So he decided to go find out for himself.

The night was closing in on the day, sun and moon battling for their place in the sky. As the sun began to sink into the horizon and finally admitted defeat, and the moon rose in triumph, Jericho entered the house of the Valerious's.

He began to search the house. He was familiar with it – he had been here on several previous occasions involving vampire attacks and plans for the safety of the town. He remembered how Velkan Valerious would always invite him to these meetings when he was still alive. Fighting back tears, Jericho walked over to a drawer, opened it, and began to study its contents.

"Letters... pins... books..." he was muttering, frowning. "Nothing relating to Dracula."

Then his eye caught a paper on a table nearby. Snatching it up, he read:

_Count Dracula, the son of Valerious the Elder, was banished to an icy fortress. And the devil then gave him wings, so he could wreak havoc on the world and those who betrayed him._

Jericho knew all this, of course. The whole town knew the story. Sighing, he walked over to the map that the late Boris Valerious was known to spend days studying. Jericho could not understand why. It was a mere map of Transylvania on a wall. Nothing out of the ordinary, except...

A drop of liquid dropped onto the map. And another. And another.

Jericho walked close to the map and examined it. He ran his finger on the liquid, and wiped his pants in disgust. It was saliva. It was... saliva...

Suddenly there was a loud roar and some great beast launched itself from the ceiling. Then it was gone.

Jericho quickly unsheathed his sword.

"Who's there?" he whispered hoarsely. "Show yourself!"

There was a low grumble from the shadows in the left corner of the room. A figure emerged.

It was Velkan Valerious.


	9. Suicide

The room was completely dark... except for a feeble shaft of eerie light peaking through a gap in the curtains. Lireela, having wondered for what seemed like ages around the castle, slowly walked into the room.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Lireela could make out dim shapes. Carefully, she walked over to one of them. Her knee hit something soft. A bed. Lireela ran her fingers along the top of the covers – then suddenly pulled them back. The covers were strangely warm... a warmth that sent chill sweat running down her spine.

Backing up, Lireela suddenly bumped into something else. She began to feel it, blindly. It seemed to be made of some sort of hard material that she could not identify. Like wood, but softer. Like cushions, but more solid and strong. A chill breeze was emanating from it. She felt around the edges; it felt like a box. There was something... a lock, on the side...

All of a sudden Lireela knew what it was.

She ran screaming from the room. She ran about two hallways down until she stopped to catch her breath.

What _on earth is Dracula doing with that coffin? _Lireela asked herself, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to stop the chills. _Is that the coffin he sleeps in? Or is he keeping something else in there?_

Not really wanting to find out at that moment, Lireela began to walk farther away from the room, not really looking or caring where she was going, just as long as she got away from that room.

Minutes later, she came upon the room that she had come to know as the Letter Room - the room where Dracula had given her Jericho's letter. She locked herself inside, and sat down on the couch by the empty fireplace.

Lireela just couldn't understand why this was happening to her. She had been trying and trying to figure out why Dracula wanted her to stay with him for five years... It seemed ridiculous. She knew that Dracula wanted her power... but why wait for five years?

Then she remembered that Dracula was a vampire full of lust and desire. He probably wanted Lireela to mature to her prime... Still, it seemed pointless to Lireela. She did not understand the minds of these vampires. What she was beginning to understand, though, was the fact that all Dracula wanted was blood and sex. He made it sound so enticing, but...

Lireela sighed. _If there were no beautiful women in the world for Dracula_, she thought, smirking, _he'd go mad._ _He needs his brides. I am not going to be one of them, though. I - I'll kill myself first!_

The reason Lireela did not kill herself at that very moment was in fact because she still had hope that somehow Jericho would find her.

Then another thought came to her.

_What if he thinks I ran away?_ she asked herself. _What will he do? Does he even know where I am?_

Sinking down farther into the couch, Lireela put her hands over her face.

"That's it," she said, her voice muffled by her hands. "That's it."

She lowered her hands and looked defiantly at the door, tears running unchecked down her cheeks.

"That's it!" she cried. "I am done! I can stand this no longer, and I must not live, else I fulfill that monster's desires!"

She frantically looked around for some kind of weapon. Not finding one, she began to claw her way through the skin on her face, and ceased her breathing intentionally.

She was slowly slipping into unconsciousness when suddenly the locked door burst open and Dracula came in.

Lireela felt some satisfaction in knowing that she was depriving Dracula of the thing he most wanted. She continued to claw at her face, until blood was running freely down her face and neck.

"What are you doing?" Dracula demanded, crossing the room and grabbing hold of Lireela's hands. "Stop! I need you now."

Lireela's will to defy him weakened as she met his gaze.

"I need you, my love," he said in a soothing and enticing voice. "I must have you, you must not do this to me! I could bite you now," he added, never taking his eyes off her, "but then you could not be my bride. Just a mere servant."

Lireela lowered her hands and looked Dracula in the eye, breathing harshly.

Dracula looked down at their now entwined fingers and the corners of his mouth turned up in a sensual smile.

"Do not do that again," he said, his voice both commanding and exciting. "I want you alive for now, my dear."

Lireela looked down and wondered why she had been trying to commit suicide. Memory escaped her for the moment, and so she whispered meekly, "I'm sorry."

Dracula's smile widened, and he slowly ran his right hand along Lireela's neck.

Lireela hardly dared to breathe, but just as quickly as he'd come, Dracula then left her alone in the room.


	10. Velkan Velarious

"My God, Velkan!"

Jericho looked closely at the figure who had just emerged from the shadows. Something was wrong with Velkan. Aside from the fact that his clothes were shredded and he was sweating all over, there was something in his eyes that did not look quite normal.

"What happened to you?" Jericho demanded.

Velkan grabbed Jericho and shoved him behind a bookcase.

"Jericho, I don't have much time. I have to tell you -"

"I thought you'd died!" said Jericho, grabbing Velkan by the shoulders. "I can't believe you're -"

"I'm as good as dead," Velkan replied.

Jericho opened his mouth but Velkan cut through his question.

"There is no time to explain. Listen, I know what happened to Lireela. He has her, he -"

"Yes, I know," explained Jericho. "I'm trying to find clues as to where Dracula is. I know it may not work, and I know you'll probably say it's hopeless, but -"

"Jericho, listen to me." Velkan grabbed Jericho by the arms. "Lireela is in the Icy Fortress. You have no chance of finding her. Do not try to -"

"I still have hope!" yelled Jericho, pushing Velkan off of him. "There is a way to get to Dracula's fortress, I just need to find it!"

"My father's been searching for -"

Velkan's expression changed dramatically. Suddenly he looked as if something was going to grab hold of him out of the shadows.

"Velkan?" Jericho looked closely at his friend and comrade. "Are you all right? What's going on?"

"Jericho..." Velkan's skin began to tighten, and suddenly he jumped six feet into the air and landed on the wall, from where he did not come down.

Suddenly Jericho realized what he was seeing. The transformation of a werewolf.

"NO!"

Velkan's eyes turned a sickly yellow shade, and his face began to change hideously.

All Jericho could do for a moment was shake his head, back away, and whisper, "No... this cannot happen..."

Velkan suddenly began to rip his skin off. In place of this came coarse brown werewolf fur. What five seconds before had been Velkan Velarious was now one of Draculas minions.

Jericho pulled out his silver gun and shot at Velkan, who dodged out of the way and jumped through the nearest window and out of sight.

Jericho knew this monster was no longer his friend. It would kill him without thought, and he knew if he saw the werewolf again he would have to kill it.


End file.
